Aircraft

Tecnam recently introduced two certified airplanes currently in development: the P2012 Traveller and the P Twenty-Ten. Both of the new airplanes will undergo FAA Part 23 and European Aviation Safety Agency CS-23 certification concurrently. With the capacity to carry 11 passengers, the P2012 is by far the largest airplane Tecnam has brought to market since […]

(June 2011) The FAA has issued an STC to Eclipse Aerospace for its Avio Integrated Flight Management System (IFMS), specifically designed for the Eclipse twin-engine light jet by Innovative Solutions & Support. The IFMS system is an upgrade to the already certified AvioNG system. As was the case with other systems, the avionics package originally […]

A Minnesota appeals court has reversed an earlier ruling that held Cirrus Design Corp. liable for a 2003 SR22 crash that killed two men on a trip to see their sons play in a hockey tournament. The new ruling nullifies the $14.4 million verdict awarded to the families of the two men by a jury […]

A group of private U.S. investors led by aviation market analyst Brian Foley now appears unlikely to submit a formal counter bid for the assets of Cirrus Design prior to its sale to Chinese interests. “The initial investor response was swift and encouraging,” Foley said in a statement to the press. “We’ve since had time […]

The lingering recession continues to make life difficult for airplane manufacturers, and Wichita giant Cessna Aircraft is no exception. Revenue at Cessna rose about 26 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, but low production and delivery levels contributed to an operating loss for the quarter of $38 million. On […]

Last Friday morning at 1130, three LSAs departed from Apopka, Florida’s X04 for a long weekend in Franklin, North Carolina. Another sport pilot and I flew the Remos while the SportCrusier (formally a PiperSport) and Gobash each had a sport pilot (one working on his private) and a CFI. Pilots and passengers of a Cessna […]

Innovation during down times continues to be a differentiator, and GE Aviation has made clear where it stands on this point. This week the Fortune 100 company broke ground on $51 million R&D facility on the campus of the University of Dayton in Ohio. GE calls the center the Electrical Power Integrated Systems Research and […]

After the launch of three new airplanes, Phil Solomon, CEO at Tecnam North America, described last week’s AERO Friedrichshafen as “incredibly successful,” with a total of 42 airplanes sold during the four-day event. The three airplanes announced were the 11-seat P2012, four-seat PTwenty Ten and a new version of the popular P92 Eaglet, all designed […]

At AERO Friedrichshafen last week, German company Flight Design, maker of the popular light sport CS two-seater, unveiled its plans for its new four-seat model, the C4. The airplane will be certified by European aviation authorities (EASA) with reciprocal FAA certification to follow. First deliveries of the carbon fiber airplane are projected for 2013. On […]

Cutting-edge turbine engine technology is changing the face of aviation — and making the world a much smaller place. Here’s how.